Texas 2009 - 81st Regular

Texas House Bill HB4309 Compare Versions

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Old	New	Differences
1	1	81R25166 TJS-D
2	2	By: Crownover, Solomons H.B. No. 4309
3	3	Substitute the following for H.B. No. 4309:
4	4	By: Hardcastle C.S.H.B. No. 4309
5	5
6	6
7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to the use of grants or loans by an electric utility or
10	10	transmission and distribution utility deploying advanced metering
11	11	technology for use with renewable energy.
12	12	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
13	13	SECTION 1. Section 39.107(h), Utilities Code, is amended to
14	14	read as follows:
15	15	(h) The commission shall establish a nonbypassable
16	16	surcharge for an electric utility or transmission and distribution
17	17	utility to use to recover reasonable and necessary costs incurred
18	18	in deploying advanced metering and meter information networks to
19	19	residential customers and nonresidential customers other than
20	20	those required by the independent system operator to have an
21	21	interval data recorder meter. The commission shall ensure that the
22	22	nonbypassable surcharge reflects a deployment of advanced meters
23	23	that is no more than one-third of the utility's total meters over
24	24	each calendar year and shall ensure that the nonbypassable
25	25	surcharge does not result in the utility recovering more than its
26	26	actual, fully allocated meter and meter information network costs.
27	27	The expenses must be allocated to the customer classes receiving
28	28	the services, based on the electric utility's most recently
29	29	approved tariffs. An electric utility or transmission and
30	30	distribution utility that deploys advanced metering and meter
31	31	information networks shall, to the extent practicable, obtain
32	32	grants, loans, and loan guarantees available from the federal
33	33	government specifically for that purpose, and other available
34	34	revenue that would reduce the utility's cost of deployment. The
35	35	commission shall reflect the revenue obtained when establishing the
36	36	amount of a surcharge under this subsection and may reduce the
37	37	amount of a surcharge approved before the utility received the
38	38	revenue, if necessary.
39	39	SECTION 2. Section 39.904, Utilities Code, is amended by
40	40	adding Subsection (h-1) to read as follows:
41	41	(h-1) An electric utility, transmission and distribution
42	42	utility, or river authority that has been designated by the
43	43	commission to construct transmission capacity under Subsection (g)
44	44	shall, to the extent practicable, obtain grants, loans, and loan
45	45	guarantees available from the federal government specifically for
46	46	that purpose, and other available revenue to reduce the utility's
47	47	or authority's cost of construction. The commission shall reflect
48	48	the revenue obtained when establishing or modifying the rates of
49	49	the utility or authority and may propose a rate reduction under
50	50	Subchapter D, Chapter 36, if necessary.
51	51	SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
52	52	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
53	53	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
54	54	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
55	55	Act takes effect September 1, 2009.